


Gold Coin

by Ravenclaweruditeowl



Series: Albion's Trophies [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Bromance, Friendship, Gen, Good Morgana (Merlin), Magic Revealed, POV Arthur, Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-08-26 21:57:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16689646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ravenclaweruditeowl/pseuds/Ravenclaweruditeowl
Summary: Arthur doesn't quite believe that Will was the one who had magic, and isn't sure what to make of it. Merlin realizes that he is payed more than the average castle servant and asks why. Arthur has to decide whether or not he wants to know Merlin's secrets - and what he'll do if his guess is correct.A magic reveal featuring a more contemplative Arthur, Morgana still on the good side, and Merlin as his normal self. Focused on friendships, not romance. Expanded from  a oneshot. No slashBegins during season one, episode The Moment of Truth.





	1. Ealdor

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first work published on this site, although I've posted on ffn and wattpad before. Please let me know what you think, if I should continue, and leave some kudos and comments behind :)

“Who did that?” Arthur didn’t take even a second to decide if finding out was important. The magic hadn’t harmed anyone on their side, but magic wasn’t a matter to be taken lightly. No matter what had been done with it. 

“What?” Merlin said. 

Arthur could tell by the look in his eyes that Merlin knew exactly what Arthur was referring to - yet he lied. Arthur tried not to wince, or let his feelings be shown. It was entirely possible that Merlin, clumsy and idiotic as he was, had been the one to conjure the wind storm. 

“Wind like that doesn't just appear from nowhere,” Arthur snarled. “I know magic when I see it. One of you made that happen.” And if it’s you, Merlin? If it’s you - no, it couldn’t be him. Merlin didn’t have the patience to sit down and learn the complicated language that was needed for magic. Arthur may have been exhausted, still breathing heavily from the battle, but his mind was still as sharp as it ever was. 

Merlin looked briefly at his friend before taking a step forward and starting to answer, at last meeting Arthur’s eyes. “Arthur..” Merlin’s voice stopped, and he never did get to finish his sentence. 

“Look out!” 

Arthur felt his body forced sideways as the boy beside Merlin pushed him roughly out of the way. Arthur heard the chink of the arrow leaving the crossbow, but by the time he had turned around, Merlin had already called out his friend’s name, and Will was falling to the ground, an arrow in his chest. 

The arrow that would have hit Arthur in the back. 

Kanen hadn’t been dead, although he was certainly dead now. He hadn’t been dead, and he had been able to hold a weapon and take aim at Arthur. 

“You just saved my life.” Why would a sorcerer save my life? 

Will grimaced. “Yeah. Don’t know what I was thinking.” 

“Come on! Get him inside!” Arthur didn’t hesitate to get the man help. At the moment, he didn’t know whether or not Will had performed magic. He only knew that he was indebted to him. A couple other men from the village helped Merlin and Arthur carry William inside, where again he spoke. 

“That’s twice I’ve saved you.” 

“Twice?” Arthur saw Will’s mouth move, even in the dim light of the room, but his mind still seemed to need confirmation anyway. 

“Yeah, it was me. I’m the one who used magic.” 

Will’s body shook as he fought through the pain of the wound that would surely kill him, but his voice spoke with such finality that Arthur could believe him. He wanted to believe him. 

“Will, don’t,” Merlin interrupted. 

Arthur looked at him. Don’t what, exactly? Will was already dying. The least he could do was make sure that Merlin wouldn’t be joining him as he left the land of the living. 

“Whatever happens out there today,” Merlin had said, “please don’t think any differently of me.” Had he said it because he knew already what would happen? Had he known that Will would use magic, and that, under Camelot’s law, Merlin could be executed just for keeping that knowledge secret? Or was that look given for some reason? William and Merlin seemed to be close. 

Would Will cover for Merlin if he had been the sorcerer? Will dying for Merlin would make a great deal more sense than Will sacrificing himself for a foreign prince. Both William and Merlin had saved his life at some point. Going along that reasoning, neither of them should have had magic. What sorcerer would want to protect the Prince? 

If Merlin was the sorcerer, Will’s sacrifice would make more sense. But, nothing else would. Maybe there were exceptions to the rule of evil sorcery? There couldn’t be, or he would have heard of them. Laws would have been made differently. There had to be something else. 

“It’s alright, Merlin,” Will whispered. “I won’t be alive long enough for anyone to do anything to me. I did it. I saw how desperate things were becoming and I had to do something.” 

“You’re a sorcerer?” Arthur questioned. It hadn’t meant to come out as a question, really. It was just Arthur thinking. 

 

“Yeah.” Will laughed lightly. “What are you gonna do? Kill me?” 

Maybe that’s why he’d done it. Will had known that, at this point, it would be either burn at a pyre, or take the arrow. The crossbow would have seemed a good option if you were to look at it that way. 

Arthur shook his head anyway. “No. Of course not.” He nodded to Merlin as his servant bent over Will’s sickbed. “Do what you can for him.” Arthur placed a hand on Will’s shoulder for a moment, then lead the women out of the tent. Of course, Will wouldn’t survive. Arthur knew that much and was almost glad of it. It would be much easier on his part - he wouldn’t have to decide whether or not to execute someone who had just saved his life. Of course, if Will had survived, Arthur could have just left. Ealdor wasn’t within Camelot’s borders, and it wasn’t Arthur’s job to pass judgment on people. 

But could he have done it? Just left, when his father had told him how bad magic was? His father would have brought Will back to Camelot for an execution, Arthur was sure of it. 

It didn’t matter what he thought now though, because thoughts were only that, and didn’t count until they were put into actions. Arthur would never have to face that choice. Merlin would comfort Will in his last moments, and it would be over. 

~~o0o~~

Will’s funeral, along with all the other’s who had died, was held later that evening. Arthur hadn’t seen Merlin since Will had passed. Arthur didn’t attempt to join the people of Ealdor as they mourned for the ones they had lost in the fight. He didn’t feel that it was his place to step in and speak about the people he hadn’t know, hadn’t seen every day for years. He figured that whatever he had to say would be no more than empty words. Empty words that came from a stranger, no less. Yes, this stranger had helped lead them to victory, but there was a big difference between the encouragement of a general and the comforting of a friend. 

So Arthur sat beside one of the houses, sharpening his sword, and trying not to think of death, and magic, and war, and everything in life that seemed to be swirling around him in a confusing tangle of wrong and right. 

He looked up when Merlin took a seat on the bench next to him. 

“I’m sorry. I know he was a close friend,” Arthur said. 

“He still is.” 

Arthur chose not to comment on Merlin’s apparent denial. Or perhaps Merlin believed in some kind of afterlife in which Will still could watch over him. Something Arthur thought was pointless, and silly, but he’d figured out at some point in his life that, unless the person is your enemy, it usually does more harm than good to take away their hope. On to the next subject it was, then. 

“You knew he was a sorcerer, didn’t you? That’s what you were going to tell me?”

Merlin didn’t meet Arthur’s eyes. “Yes. It was.” 

“You know how dangerous magic is,” Arthur told him. “You shouldn’t’ve kept this from me, Merlin.” 

He didn’t wait to get a response, but got up and walked over to talk to Morgana and Gwen. Merlin stayed behind. 

~~~~~~~oOo~~~~~~~

 

“Arthur?” Merlin called. It was only a few days since they had returned to Camelot from Ealdor. Arthur still hadn’t been able to breach the subject of magic in any of his conversations with Merlin. He had tried to, several times, but the words always stuck in his throat, and he always seemed to divert the attention to something else, like cleaning his room or polishing armour. 

And now Merlin was here, acting all weird. Since when did Merlin stand in the entry to Arthur’s room, and almost seem to request entry instead of just barging in?

“Finally decided to treat me with the respect I deserve, have you?” Arthur commented. 

Merlin hesitated but didn’t step forward. 

Arthur sighed. “What is it now, Merlin?” 

Merlin walked towards Arthur’s table, his stride seemed to be more fluid for some reason. He didn’t look likely to trip at any second. He pulled out some change from his jacket pocket and placed it on the table. 

It wasn’t much. Several copper and silver coins, all of the Camelot design. Arthur didn’t see anything odd with it. Just some spare change to Arthur. 

“You pay me nearly twice as much as what the other castle servants get,” Merlin stated. 

Arthur shrugged. So what if he did? 

Merlin continued. “The only one I know of who gets a comparable amount is Gwen, who still gets a silver penny less than I do.” When Arthur still didn’t answer, Merlin got to what Arthur assumed was the point of this visit. “Why?” 

Arthur was taken aback at the question. He gave Merlin some extra money, but he didn’t ever think he’d have to talk about it. It was Arthur’s way of - saying thank you, he supposed. Gwen always said he did much too little of that, but in truth, Arthur guessed that most people just didn’t notice the nonverbal thanks he gave. Arthur preferred it that way. He didn’t enjoy the protests he got when he offered unexpected gifts to people, nor the endless thank-you’s back, or the hugs. It was easier this way. 

He cleared his throat and fumbled around for something to say. “Well. You’re not exactly a normal servant, are you?” 

Merlin raised his eyebrows. 

“You don’t think that I haven’t noticed all the extra tasks you do, do you? You may be a terrible servant, for the most part, Merlin -” there was no need for Merlin to know just how much Arthur appreciated him, the boy would get a big head - “but you’ve followed me into situations that aren’t in the job descriptions of ‘servant.’ That hasn’t gone unnoticed. Servants don’t drink poison for their masters voluntarily. Servants don’t go into danger with no armour or weapon.” 

“That sounds almost as if you’re saying thank you, Arthur.” Merlin grinned, his blue eyes teasing. 

Arthur scowled. Why did they have to talk about it? Couldn’t Merlin just accept the extra coin, and leave Arthur’s emotions alone? 

“Don’t you have stables to clean or something?” 

Merlin shook his head. “That’s not really part of my job description either. The stable boys -”

“Merlin!” 

Merlin laughed. “Fine, I’ll go, but now I know how you really feel about me.” 

Arthur waited until Merlin had scooped up his money and the door thudded at his exit before pulling out the coin from his pocket. 

It was a gold one, not copper or silver like the most common coins. Most of the change in circulation was adorned with Camelot’s dragon on one side, and an engraving of a crown on the other, but this one was different. It was by no means unique, but unusual at this time. It was older than most, from a time when Albion was more united than it was now. 

One side had five stars circled around a crown, which represented the united rule of Camelot, Gawant, Nemeth, Caerleon, Essetir, and Mercia. On the opposite side was a shield and wheat, representing the soldiers and farmers that supported the kingdoms. 

Arthur’s father didn’t approve of these coins, but they weren’t illegal, and no one could be punished for using one. 

Arthur ran his thumb over the coin’s rough surface. Maybe he would have given it to Merlin too, but thinking on it now, it seemed like a bit much. 

Especially since he had missed out on yet another opportunity to get Merlin to talk about magic. If Merlin was friends with those who used it - or even used it himself, Arthur couldn’t reward him for that. But he couldn’t have him killed for it, either. Not after everything they had gone through. 

Magic corrupts, he’d been told. 

Magic corrupts and produces nothing but evil. 

But Merlin wasn’t evil. Merlin wasn’t evil, and as much as Arthur had seen the bad in magic, he was starting to have his doubts about whether it was always that way.


	2. The Forest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't planning to update so soon, but this wouldn't get out of my head. 
> 
> It's kind of interesting. This is the only story I've written with so much inner dialogue, but I think I like it.

“You’ve been acting oddly lately,” Morgana commented. Arthur attempted to protest, but Morgana beat him to it. “Don’t try to deny it, Arthur. You walk around in a daze as if bewitched, and yesterday, Sir Leon defeated you in a duel in less than twenty seconds!” 

“Forty,” Arthur corrected. “It was forty seconds.” 

“Whichever.” Morgana waved his correction away. “It was still under your usual time, even when you fight against Leon.” 

Arthur shrugged. “I just need a vacation, that’s all. A good hunt will do me some good.” 

“Arthur Pendragon,” Morgana teased, “need a vacation?” She sauntered across his room and took a seat like she owned the place. “What’s really on your mind? Take a moment to think about it. I’ll know if you’re lying.” 

Arthur doubted that he was that bad of an actor. He could keep a secret to himself without Morgana knowing. The question was, should he? If he could talk to anyone about his suspicions about his manservant, it would be Morgana, wouldn’t it? Morgana was no Uther. She wouldn’t immediately seek to have Merlin executed. She wasn’t Gaius or Guinevere either, both of whom Arthur guessed would have defended Merlin to their last breaths. 

“It’s about what happened in Ealdor,” He said, making his decision. 

Morgana leaned forwards to rest her elbows on Arthur’s table, chin resting on her hands. “Go on. Would this be about us women fighting, going out of Camelot lands, or magic?” 

There it was, an adequate excuse to draw attention to something else. Arthur could claim he was just concerned about threats from Essetir, if he wanted. 

“It’s about the magic,” he said though. 

Morgana nodded. “I thought so.” 

“What if Will was just covering for Merlin?” Arthur asked. “What if Merlin’s a, a, you know.” 

“Sorcerer?” 

“Yes. That.” 

Morgana didn’t answer immediately, and Arthur started to doubt the choice he had made to let her in on his suspicions. 

“If,” Morgana started, “Merlin does have magic,” she tapped her fingers against the wood of an armrest, “then maybe it’s alright.” 

Arthur stared at her. 

“Uther can make mistakes like anyone,” Morgana continued. “If Merlin has magic, then I say we wait, and we watch. He’s our friend, and we should trust that he knows what he’s doing.” 

“But this is magic we’re talking about, Morgana, not, not some trivial little crime that he’d go to the stocks for a day for!” 

“And sometimes the law is wrong!” Morgana jabbed back. “You’ve seen it! You’ve stood by me as children were killed for nothing more than a suspected flash of gold in their eyes! Tell me, is it more important to follow the rules made by one single man, or follow what you know is right?” 

Morgana stood abruptly and walked towards Arthur’s door. 

Arthur leapt across to grab her wrist. “Wait, I’m not done, I still…” I still need her advice, he thought. 

“You don’t need anything else from me, Arthur.” she stopped just before the door. “If it bothers you so much, just ask Merlin.”

The door swung to a close behind her and Arthur was left alone, in the same spot he was before. Talk to Merlin, she had said. Couldn’t she tell that finding a way to talk to Merlin had been his biggest problem the past week? He couldn’t just walk up to the man and ask ‘hey, just curious, but do you happen to have magic? Merlin would have to be crazy to admit to it. 

But he had admitted to it, hadn’t he? When Guinevere had been charged with sorcery when her father had been healed of a disease no one else had recovered from, who had tried to take the blame but Merlin? And then Arthur himself had refuted him. It made sense that Merlin would try to sacrifice himself for a friend, after all, how many times had Arthur been that friend? But what if Merlin’s claim had been more than just a rescue attempt? 

~~oOo~~

“So, why exactly are we wandering about in the forest in seemingly random directions?” 

Admitting that Morgana had a point, Arthur had decided that he would confront Merlin about magic. Right after his conversation with Morgana, he had announced a surprised hunting trip. Him and Merlin only. 

It had been an hour since they first entered the woods, and Arthur still hadn’t said anything vaguely related to the topic of magic. He had, about half an hour before this point, started to speak, but then rethought his plan. 

Had it really been a good idea to head out into the forest alone with a sorcerer? What if as soon as Arthur spoke, Merlin just erased his memories? 

What if Merlin had already erased his memories?

What if Merlin could enchant Arthur to believe him when he said he didn’t have magic? Arthur could believe that. There had been times in the past when Merlin had been surprisingly convincing, so much so that Arthur had almost labelled him wise. What if that was some unnatural, strange, silver tongue magic that had made Merlin’s words so reasonable? 

“I’m tracking a deer, Merlin, or hadn’t you caught on yet?” Arthur said, even though he wasn’t tracking anything at the moment. Truth be told, Arthur was just making a loop around the citadel. 

Merlin stopped. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Arthur asked. 

Merlin waved his arms at the ground beneath their feet. “You’re not tracking anything Arthur! I’m not an idiot! Just tell me what we’re really doing out here. Is someone in trouble?” 

“You are an idiot, Merlin, just maybe not as much of an idiot as I had thought,” Arthur responded. “And I don’t know if anyone’s in trouble. You might be, depending on -” Arthur stopped. He hadn’t meant to let out that outburst of truth. Well, he had, but not in that way. He’d wanted to talk to Merlin when it was Arthur that had initiated and had the upper hand, not the other way around. 

“Depending on… what?” Merlin asked slowly. 

“Nothing,” Arthur said sharply and kept walking. Let Merlin keep up with him if he must. 

Arthur wasn’t walking quietly anymore, not now that he didn’t have to keep up the pretence of hunting, but his footsteps were quiet enough that he could hear when Merlin started to follow behind him and therefore wasn’t surprised when his manservant sat down next to him on a log once they reached the stream.

“What do you think about magic?” Arthur asked. He avoided Merlin’s eyes, afraid that he might see their friendly shade of blue turn to gold as Merlin wiped his memory. But Merlin didn’t do anything remotely magical. He just talked.” 

“What do you want me to say, Arthur?” The question was rhetorical apparently, as Merlin didn’t pause long enough for an answer. “That I think it’s evil, and should be eradicated at all costs? That I think all the lives destroyed by people fighting magic were justified? That I think Uther’s completely right? That he’s completely wrong?” Merlin picked up a smooth stone from the river and tossed it in the air. “Do you want me to tell you what you want to hear, or do you want me to tell you the truth?” 

Arthur inhaled deeply. So the truth and what Arthur wanted to hear were different. He hardly hesitated in his response. He had spent the past week hesitating, this was it. 

“The truth.” 

“Okay then.” Merlin didn’t seem to know what to say after that. He dropped the stone and looked at Arthur seriously.

“I don’t think magic has to be bad,” he said. 

“Why?” Arthur pushed. 

“It’s saved our lives.” 

Was Merlin talking about Will now, or about something else? Merlin couldn’t know about the sphere of light that had guided him out of the caves when Arthur had gone on that quest to save him, and there hadn’t been any other occasions when magic had saved him. Had there been? 

“It’s also almost killed us,” Arthur pointed out. 

“So have swords.” 

“What?” 

“We’ve been saved by people who wield swords, and we’ve almost been killed by them. What makes magic any different?” 

“It - I - it just is.” Arthur stumbled through, wanting to give more of a protest than that, but finding that he didn’t have any off the top of his head. He grimaced. “Okay, so suppose you’re right. Magic is like a sword. That means we shouldn’t try to get rid of it?” 

“Exactly. It’s a tool like any other that can be used to help or harm.” 

“But one person with magic can do so much more harm than a man with a sword can.” At last, something had come to Arthurs mind that supported his beliefs. 

“Really?” 

Merlin was throwing the stone again and avoiding Arthur’s eyes. Not that Arthur was trying to meet them. 

“Last time I checked,” Merlin said, “The guys with the swords killed hundreds of people of all ages just because they might have magic.” 

Silence. 

“Wouldn’t you want revenge, Arthur? Can you really blame them? What if someone — no. Will. Will was born with his magic. He never had a choice. It chose him. Would you really condemn him for that?” 

Born with it. “I don’t believe you,” Arthur replied quietly. 

“You should. Some people are just born with the ability to —”

“ — I didn’t mean that I don’t believe people can be born with magic. I meant that I don’t believe that Will had magic.” 

Merlin’s eyes widened as they met Arthur’s, and Arthur would have bet that he wasn’t the only one who held his breath for a moment. 

“I think it was you.”


	3. The Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that there was more of a break between updates but a) I hadn't originally planned to make this story this long and b) I had finals, as I am still in school, and then family/holiday stuff. 
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy! Please comment.
> 
> Reminder of where we left off: 
> 
> "I don't believe you," Arthur replied quietly.
> 
> "You should. Some people are just born with the ability to —"
> 
> " — I didn't mean that I don't believe people can be born with magic. I meant that I don't believe that Will had magic."
> 
> Merlin's eyes widened as they met Arthur's, and Arthur would have bet that he wasn't the only one who held his breath for a moment.
> 
> "I think it was you."

“I - what - why would you think that?” 

Merlin stumbled through his words as he did in his steps so often, letting out a stiff chuckle at the end of it. It wasn’t like him, Arthur thought. Words were the one thing that Merlin was sure-footed in — pun unintended. He was confident with words, throwing out witty answers at the briefest notice, and editing Arthur’s own writing. 

For the first time, Arthur was seeing Merlin truly lost for words, and it was terrifying. 

It was terrifying because he didn’t understand why. If he was innocent, why didn’t he laugh it off? A real laugh, not this nervous one. If he was guilty, why hadn’t he given out a threat, or started a spell or something? 

“It just makes sense,” Arthur told the servant. “Too many weird things happen around you. And, you asked me not to think any differently of you. Of you, not Will. If it had been Will with magic, then you could’ve just said nothing, and I’d never have guessed you had known.” 

“Coincidences,” Merlin mumbled. 

“Coincidences, Merlin, or lies, and coverups, and -” 

Arthur was still looking at Merlin as the other boy* turned his face away, but he hadn’t missed what Merlin hadn’t wanted Arthur to see. 

Was it guilt or fear that Arthur had seen in his eyes? Maybe it had been both. 

“Are you going to turn me in to Uther?” Merlin asked quietly. 

“Am I - what?” Arthur almost full out laughed at the suggestion, although he wasn’t quite sure why. Turning Merlin in to his father should have been his first response. It had been his first response. Luckily, he had been able to think through his first response to get to his second. Or third. Or whichever revelation he was on now. 

Merlin looked at Arthur with confusion. Arthur realized that the unintelligible snort that had just come out as he tried not to laugh might not have been seen as a good sign. 

“I’m not going to turn you in. Not as long as you have a good explanation.” 

Merlin still looked like he expected Arthur to run him through with his sword at any moment. Arthur sighed. He wished that he were better at the whole comforting thing. Should he wait a moment and just let Merlin collect his thoughts? Should he just press on with the questioning? What sort of comforting gesture could be given? 

Arthur settled for giving him a pat on the back, which turned out to be more awkward than anything, but the awkwardness was worth the flicker of a nervous smile Arthur thought he had seen on Merlin’s face. 

“You’re not angry?” Merlin asked. 

Arthur had to think about that for a moment, as anger wasn’t really one of the major emotions he had been dealing with of late. Sadness because of betrayal. Confusion. Enough confusion to fill Arthur’s brain plus three others. Doubt. A lot of doubt in himself, as well as Merlin, and his own father. 

“No. I’m not angry. I might have been if you’d kept this big of a secret from me much longer though. We...” Arthur had been about to say that they were friends. But they couldn't be friends. It wasn’t possible, what with Arthur being a prince, and Merlin being a servant. “I trusted you. I thought you could trust me.” 

Merlin winced. “It isn’t that I don’t trust you.” 

It was though. What was the purpose of withholding of truth if you trusted a person? 

“So, would you be okay with answering some questions?” Arthur asked. 

“Do I have a choice?” Merlin responded, his brief smile disappearing. 

Did Arthur trust Merlin enough to give him the choice? Maybe. But Arthur’s personal trust couldn’t come before the safety of Camelot. He needed to know. 

“You don’t have to answer everything now,” Arthur decided. “I expect that I have too many questions for that. But no, you don’t really have a choice.” 

Merlin nodded. “I’ll answer. I just ask that you wait for full explanations before judging any...thing.” 

Merlin’s voice faded out when Arthur pressed a finger to his lips. This wasn’t a conversation that should be overheard, and Arthur was sure that he had just seen movement in the trees behind Merlin. 

He stood, drawing his sword, and took a step towards the movement. “Show yourself.” 

Men stepped out from the trees one by one, formed in a half circle that effectively trapped Arthur and Merlin between them, and the stream. Bandits. How did they get so close to Camelot? Or had Arthur wandered farther than he had intended? He counted them quickly in his head, his eyes darting across the forest edge. There were about five. Arthur had taken down as many before, but rarely had he needed to face this many all at once. 

He gritted his teeth and twisted his sword, taking comfort in its familiar feel. Just let them try to attack. 

Attack they did, the centerman directing the first blows. He wasn't hard to take down. Anyone who wasn’t a knight never was, not for Arthur. He swung around just in time to catch a blow from another one of the bandits. Arthur pushed him back, hitting him with the flat of his blade, and he fell to the side, likely unconscious. 

Arthur spun to face a third opponent, always moving to keep sight of anything that might be moving. The only one there was Merlin. 

“What?” Arthur gasped. “Where?”

And then he saw them. One man lay still, crumpled under the weight of a large tree branch that had fallen from above. Two others sat unmoving against the trunk of the same tree that had possibly just killed their companion. 

“Did you,” Arthur waved at the tree, “did you do that?” 

“I figured there wasn’t a reason to be subtle about it anymore.” 

Arthur swung his sword and pointed it directly at Merlin. “You think that because I know about you, that you don’t have to be careful?” 

Merlin stumbled a step backwards in surprise. 

“You idiot,” Arthur said indignantly. He pulled the sword away and sheathed it. “I can’t do anything about your life being illegal until I’m king! You can’t just go around leaving obvious evidence of magic lying around!” 

“You’re not angry I used magic. You’re angry I was ‘obvious’ about it?” 

Arthur threw up his arms. “Yes! Yes, I am. You don’t get to be executed when I haven’t gotten a full explanation yet.” 

Merlin grinned. A full on, goofy, ridiculous, incredibly irritating, and oh so extremely Merlin-ish grin. 

Arthur scoffed. “Don’t just stand there. Help me move them so it looks like we had a sword fight instead of a magic one!” 

~~oOo~~

“So now,” Arthur began again, “You have some questions to answer. 

The two boys had walked on further from the river after the incident. They had, in fact, been farther from Camelot than Arthur had intended to lead them, so they had veered towards the city walls and taken a seat in a safer, but still private location in a small clearing. The sky was still fairly light, although it was more than an hour past midday. Luckily, Merlin had been given the foresight to carry along some food. He had complained more than once about having to share with the prince, but after Arthur had pointed out that he could just have him executed instead, Merlin’s complaints had stopped. 

Admittedly, Arthur had felt somewhat guilty about that one when the mood hadn’t picked up again. 

Merlin only nodded when Arthur spoke this time. 

“Why don’t you start from the beginning. I’m guessing that, since you were talking about it, you think you were born with this… ability.” 

“I don’t think. I know. My mother wouldn’t lie about that, and I didn’t have the opportunity to learn anything about magic until recently.” 

Arthur could believe that. Hunith didn’t seem the type to make up stories of such serious nature. But, “You’ve had the opportunity to learn about magic in Camelot?” he blurted. Arthur’s bread and cheese, which had been halfway up to his mouth, dropped back into his lap. 

“Yes? It’s why I came here.” 

“You came to Camelot - a kingdom where magic is outlawed upon pain of death - to learn about magic.” 

“Yes,” Merlin agreed. 

“Explain how that makes any logical sense,” Arthur requested. No magical people could live in the city for long without getting caught. Even Merlin would have been noticed had it not been for Arthur himself unknowingly covering for him. The only sources of magical knowledge were locked away or in the minds of those who had lived before the purge. People like -

“Gaius,” Merlin said. “He’s my mother’s uncle, and she thought that he might be able to teach me how to control it.” 

“You’d been able to control it all this time. Why send you to Gaius now?” 

“I got more powerful as I got older, and it was getting more and more difficult to hide. Not only that, but I didn’t really fit in with Ealdor. There was never enough to occupy my time. My mother taught me to read and write, more than most where I come from could, but she’d finally reached the limits of what she could teach me, and I still wanted to learn more. Gaius hasn’t just taught me magic, he’s taught me healing, history, and language too.” 

“So when you said you didn’t fit in, you really meant it.” 

“Entirely. Will wasn’t just a friend back then. He was my only friend. Everyone else heard the suspicious stories and wouldn’t come near me but for necessity.” 

Arthur nodded. It made sense. The risk of coming to Camelot was balanced out by the need for change, help, and Merlin’s own curiosity. 

“May I ask my own question?” Merlin asked. 

Yes, Merlin’s curiosity had definitely played a role. “I suppose we have time,” Arthur conceded. 

“You said earlier that you couldn’t do anything about magic being illegal until you’re king. Does that mean that when you are king you’ll do something about it?” 

Arthur hesitated. What could he do, really? Without knowing more, he couldn't do anything. He couldn’t change the law for one odd sorcerer. Even if it wasn’t just Merlin, changing the law would be difficult. He would face the opposition of at least a majority of the council, and Arthur didn’t know how many of the people and of his knights would stand with him. It was impossible to get an honest answer when people were afraid of even mentioning magic. 

“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “I don’t know enough to tell you that.” 

Merlin nodded, face turned down again. 

“It might help if you would tell me what you’ve done. Tell me everything, the good an the bad, of what you’ve done with your magic. Start from when you first came to Camelot. Everything you did growing up was technically legal, even if it might have been dangerous.” 

“This is going to be a long story,” Merlin noted. 

“Well, then get started. We have until it starts to get dark.” Arthur looked up through the trees. They still had hours. Surely, if they went quickly and without going into details, they could get through. Merlin hadn’t been in Camelot even a full year yet. 

Merlin laughed. “Do me a favour and don’t interrupt during the first five minutes. I did some pretty stupid stuff when I first arrived, including using magic right in front of you…” 

Arthur had to take back what he had thought before as the stories went on. Plenty could happen in just a few months time. He listened as Merlin told him about slowing time to save him from Mary Collins in the very beginning, and how Valiant’s snake shield had been revealed. It was confirmed that Merlin had healed Gwen’s father, but had not caused the magical illness in the first place. Merlin told him about Nimue, the poisoned chalice, helping Lancelot enter to become a knight and kill the griffin, saving Morgana from magical beetles, saving Arthur from some sort of faerie people, saving Mordred from Uther, saving Uther on accident when he was the one to use the sword forged in dragon’s breath -

“Wait, stop,” Arthur finally interrupted. “Stop. What dragon?” 

“Have I not mentioned that yet?” Merlin scratched his head and looked at Arthur nervously. “The dragon underneath the castle. He called to me during my first week here. I talk to him sometimes. He gives somewhat cryptic advice, but advice all the same.” 

Arthur grunted in acknowledgement. He hadn’t even remembered that there was a dragon under the castle and hadn’t even considered that it could be able to talk. The fact that Merlin could get to it so easily was concerning though. He would have to take a look at that later. 

Merlin finished up with their visit to Ealdor and fell silent. Both of them looked at the sky. It was getting dark at this point, and Arthur was feeling stiff from sitting on a fallen tree for so long. 

“It’s time we head back,” Arthur said. 

“You’re not going to tell me what you think of all this.” 

“Of course I am, Merlin. But not until after I have had a full night of sleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Going by Kilgharrah with this one, and calling Merlin “boy” all of the first few seasons XD.


	4. The Castle

Arthur hadn’t meant to actually injure the knight, but he had almost forgotten that this was training and not an actual fight. 

Now knowing that Merlin did indeed have magic, his distracted mindset had seemed to switch. Before, he had been distracted by the possibility, so much so that other tasks weren’t done to his best ability. After the previous day’s revelations, Arthur found himself desperately focusing on anything but Merlin. 

Arthur knew that ignoring the situation was only making Merlin more nervous. That morning, Merlin had been the polite model of a servant instead of starting their usual banter. 

Of course, this had meant that Arthur had been late to training because Merlin wasn’t able to wake him in any normal way, but not one of the knights had dared to comment on his late appearance. Being the prince did have its perks. 

Merlin’s magic, and Arthur’s pointless need to prove to himself, and to his knights, that he was as invulnerable as ever, had driven him to attacking a little more recklessly than usual. The swords they used in training were dull, but could still hurt pretty badly when someone was fighting as Arthur had been. 

“Are you alright?” Arthur dropped the sword and crouched by the young knight seated in the grass. Sir Lucan, one of Arthur’s newest knights, had a gash in his arm that definitely shouldn’t have been there just from practice. I’m sorry, Arthur almost said. 

But he didn’t. 

“You should go see Gaius for that.” 

Sir Lucan nodded and accepted the hand offered by one of the other knights. Arthur watched as the two walked back inside the castle. 

Maybe Arthur shouldn’t practice while this distracted. It wasn’t fair to his knights. 

“Are you feeling okay, sire?” 

Leon. Of course it was him. Few of the other knights would have dared to ask a question unrelated to their training. Some of the older knights, the few that were left in service that had been around when Arthur was only just beginning his own training, might have asked. Leon had always been the closest to a friend Arthur had, though. Leon was a couple years older, but had often been a training partner in the early days. 

He hadn’t been one of the ones that laughed at his jokes and agreed with him no matter what, though. That’s what made him Arthur’s favorite now, and the reason why he had disliked Leon in the beginning. It was this quality, their willingness to refute Arthur’s decisions, that made Merlin and Leon similar. 

Maybe it wasn’t unusual for most people, but Arthur had realized as he had aged that being prince meant that people often didn’t tell you the truth. They told you what you wanted to hear. Leon and Merlin were honest despite that trend. 

So Arthur had thought, anyway. What secret was Leon hiding, he wondered. He had to have something. Apparently everyone did. Maybe Merlin and Leon’s honesty came from the guilt of keeping back something bigger. 

“I’ll be fine,” Arthur said. 

Leon nodded. “If you need anything, just let me know.” 

“Thank you, Sir Leon.” 

0o0o0

As usual, Merlin was present to serve Arthur’s lunch. 

“How was training, sire?” He asked politely. 

There he was speaking formally again. 

“A knight was injured,” Arthur said. “But otherwise, it went well.” 

There were a few moments of silence while Arthur ate his food and Merlin watched. It was somewhat uncomfortable. Even though Arthur knew that servants watched people eat all the time in order to know when more servings were needed, Merlin just standing silently was a bit unnerving. 

“Are we going to talk about…” Merlin waved his hands about in the air for a second, clearly (but not so clearly) referencing their talk yesterday. 

“Talk about what?” Morgana stood in the doorway, having heard Merlin’s comment as she opened the door. 

Merlin’s arms dropped back to his sides. “Nothing.” 

Morgana ignored Merlin and turned to Arthur. “Did you get the answers you were looking for?” 

“Yes,” Arthur said. He had gotten the answers. He had also gotten more questions, but none Morgana needed to know about. 

“And?” Morgana added. 

Arthur looked at Merlin. Although Arthur had already told Morgana that he suspected Merlin, it didn’t seem like something he should tell without Merlin’s permission. Though, maybe he should just go ahead and say something so that he wasn’t the only one keeping this secret. But if he shared this information with Morgana, wouldn’t he be putting her at risk as well? Uther’s wrath wasn’t something to take lightly.

It’s not about trust. 

Oh. Arthur could see now that what Merlin had said was true. He trusted Morgana, but that didn’t mean he’d put her in danger just to satisfy her curiosity. 

“And I now know what I need to know,” Arthur concluded. 

Morgana rolled her eyes. “You can’t keep me out of this now, Arthur. If you wanted to keep secrets, you shouldn’t have asked for my thoughts in the first place. Merlin,” she turned to Merlin again, “Arthur talked to me before deciding to speak with you.” 

Merlin opened his mouth to speak, but Morgana kept going. 

“If his suspicions were correct, your secret is safe with me. If they weren’t, well, that was a lot of fuss for no reason, wasn’t it?”

“I - you won’t - you don’t..? Merlin trailed off. 

“It’s okay, Merlin,” Morgana said. She smiled slightly, clearly amused at Merlin’s inability to speak. 

“Right then,” Arthur said. “You can leave now.” It was clear which side Morgana would take on the matter, and her absolute defiance from everything he had been taught - everything the both of them had been taught - wasn’t helping him think. It wasn’t helping Merlin think, either, judging by the way the boy still hadn’t figured out a suitable thing to say. 

Morgana shot Arthur a look but didn’t protest leaving the room. 

Then it was just Merlin and Arthur again. 

“I don’t know what to do,” Arthur admitted. “So you’re a test case, Merlin.” It made sense to Arthur. Arthur didn’t know much about magic, only that anyone who used it was supposedly bad. In a fair justice system, however, Arthur believed that people should be judged on their own actions. 

People with magic didn’t get a chance to get judged on anything. It was just straight to the dungeons to await their death for all of them. Now that he thought about it, that hardly seemed fair. 

“I’m going to watch what you do, and judge based on that.” It was likely that his opinion of magic would be decided by Merlin’s actions. If Merlin couldn’t resist its evil, then who could?

Merlin still looked a little bit nervous, but he nodded gratefully. “Thank you.” 

“Don’t mention it. Quite literally, don’t mention it. We don’t want anyone overhearing. Understand?” 

“More than you could know.” 

0o0o0o0

Arthur held the torch out to his side and walked steadily through the castle. It was late. Late enough that only the castle guards should be up an about, and according to Merlin, they didn’t often patrol the area Arthur was now heading. 

It was no wonder why, really. It was dark and cold down here. Stone on all sides wasn’t the nicest thing to look at for long hours, and as far as the guards knew, there wasn’t anything that needed guarding in this area of the castle. 

Arthur himself wouldn’t have seen reason for this hall to be secured until recently. One shouldn’t leave the entrance to a dragon’s cave wide open for anyone to reach. 

The loud clomping of his shoes against the floor, and the slight sound of his sword’s scabbard moving against his side sounded even louder the farther down the staircase Arthur went. There really wasn’t much light down here, and the stillness seemed everpresent. Was there really anything living somewhere nearby? Maybe the dragon had gone and died since the last time Merlin had payed it a visit. What would Arthur do if that had happened. 

You couldn’t just leave a body lying underneath the castle. He imagined going to his father and trying to explain that he had found a dead dragon while wandering the castle. Yes, he had just been exploring, and him finding the cave that held the dragon had been a total coincidence. 

Finally, the corridor opened up into a chiseled cave, into which some amount of light came in from somewhere. A large rock sat in the middle, but otherwise, there appeared to be nowhere nearby for something as large as a dragon to rest. 

“Hello?” Arthur called. “Er - Great Dragon?” 

Apparently, Arthur had been looking in the wrong direction, because the wingbeats of the the dragon didn’t come from a far corner, but from above. The wind created brushed Arthur’s hair backwards, and for a moment, Arthur feared his torch would go out. 

Arthur had seen the dragon once before, when he was a child. Uther had told him it was there. But he had never ventured back to the area since, and since no one had ever mentioned it again, he assumed it must have been a dream, or that the dragon was no longer there. But here was the dragon, and Arthur was struck once again by how large the creature was up close. 

“Young Pendragon.” 

Arthur took in a deep breath. Of course the dragon could speak. How else would it have given Merlin advice? But still. It was so far beyond what Arthur would have believed. It was magnificent and terrifying. It might have been somewhat less intimidating had the dragon sounded friendly in his greeting instead of speaking with a mixture of curiosity and something that made Arthur feel as if the dragon was picturing what he would taste like. 

“Great Dragon,” Arthur began again, “I have come to -” What exactly had he come to do. Really, he was just satisfying his own curiosity, and checking Merlin’s facts. What should he tell the dragon. “I have come because. I came because Merlin told me about you.” 

That couldn’t be held against him, could it? The dragon couldn’t do anything, and Arthur’s reputation with the beast hardly mattered to him.

“Ah. You have spoken with the young warlock,” the dragon said in its deep voice.” I had not expected this so soon, but as it seems not to have caused a disaster, I do not protest.” 

Neither said anything for a moment. Arthur couldn’t see what the dragon protesting would have done, locked in this cave as it was, but since Arthur was now also in the cave, he didn’t want to make the dragon angry. 

“Well,” Arthur said. “That is all.” He backed away from the ledge, not trusting the dragon enough to turn his back to it. 

“Arthur Pendragon,” the dragon said again. “I may hate your father for his despicable crimes against my kind.” 

Arthur clenched his fist around his sword hilt. 

“However, you have a great destiny ahead of you. I hope that, one day, you will no longer see me as your enemy.” 

With that final line, the dragon took off again and disappeared. Arthur was left in the same stillness and before, wondering if all dragons had been like this one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !
> 
> How did you like it? Training? Morgana? Kilgharrah? I actually rewrote this chapter, as I didn't like how it turned out at first, but I think it ended up okay. 
> 
> This is the last "reveal" chapter. Arthur won't spend all his time contemplating in the next one, which will be the episode The Labyrinth of Gedref, but with Arthur knowing about Merlin's magic of course. And then this fic will be over :(
> 
> I might (no promises) start a sequel later on in the year, but I want to finish one of my other works in progress before I think too much on it. I was wondering whether you would want it to be Mergana or Freylin, though. I'm pretty set on Mergana, as I think that it would work well with this setup, but I want to see what you guys think.
> 
> I actually really love Merthian (Merlin, Mithian) but since Mithian doesn't show up until... what? Season 4? That won't really work. I thought about writing Merthur, because that would definitely fit here, but I decided against it.


	5. The Labyrinth of Gedref

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \--A unicorn is pure of heart. If you kill one, you must make amends by proving that you also are pure of heart. Arthur was willing to sacrifice his life to save yours. He has proven what is truly in his heart. The curse will be lifted. —

Days later, everything had returned to almost normal. This might have been thanks to the fact that Merlin didn’t use magic any more than he used to, which meant that Arthur found it rather easy to forget that anything had changed.

Every once in a while, though, Merlin would startle Arthur by popping up seemingly out of nowhere, and all of Arthur’s doubts came flooding back.

 

The one thing that now distracted him was the hunt. A real one this time, with several of his knights in tow, not just a scrawny sorcerer.

There was something ahead, too. It was a large animal. A deer, perhaps. Arthur sent two of his knights around another way and whispered to get Merlin’s attention.

 

“What is it?” Merlin asked.

 

Arthur kept his eyes trained ahead. “I don’t know. We will surround it. I want you to go in there and flush it out.”

 

“You want me to go in there?” Arthur could almost hear Merlin silently telling him what a prat he was. “You just said you don’t know what it is. It could be dangerous.”

“And if it is,” Arthur reminded him, “I know you’ll be fine. Now go.” 

Merlin disappeared into the trees and Arthur followed distantly, at last glimpsing a bit of white fur. So it wasn’t a deer then. He aimed the crossbow. Whatever it was, it was perfectly in place. Maybe he’d have caught something special. Maybe it would be something his father would be proud of.

As Arthur let the arrow fly, he thought of what Uther might say. Earning approval of his father had been even more important to him of late. It was as if Arthur felt the need to do extra well to make up for the fact that he was breaking the King’s biggest and deadliest law.   
  
Arthur walked closer, and he could see what is was now.

“Ha-ha! A unicorn!”

“What have you done?” Merlin said. 

“Don’t be such a girl, Merlin.” He’d shot a unicorn. A bloody _unicorn_! It would be the most prized catch of the century! And Merlin was - Merlin was looking behind him? 

“What are you looking at?” 

Merlin didn’t answer, and in context of the recent jubilation, Arthur didn’t bother to ask again.

 

0o0o0o0

“Father!” Arthur announced. “A unicorn’s horn to grace the walls of Camelot!” The whole unicorn hadn’t been brought up to the council chambers, but Arthur had gotten the horn removed and had Merlin carry it in on a pillow.

It looked _magnificent_.

“Magnificent.” Uther said, repeating Arthur’s own thoughts. “It’s the first one I’ve seen.” He took the horn and held it up. “Gaius, look at this?”

Gaius dipped his head in acknowledgement. “It is very impressive, My Lord.”

The resigned, insincere praise had arrived, and Arthur wanted to swing at it with his sword, smash it with a mace, do whatever it took to get it to go away. Arthur deserved this moment of pride, and here Gaius and Merlin were trying to ruin it.

“What is it, Gaius?” Uther asked, recognizing the same symptoms Arthur had. “Speak your mind.”

“Unicorns are rare and mystical creatures,” Gaius said. “There is a legend that says that bad fortune will come to anyone who slays one.”

“Nonsense.” Uther waved the response away, and said seriously to Arthur, “We will be the envy of every kingdom.”  

0o0o0o0

 

Uther bent to pick up a dead piece of wheat from the ground. “Every single ear has died,” he said. “We've received reports that it's the same throughout the entire kingdom.”

“I rode through this valley only yesterday,” Arthur said. “The crop looked healthy enough then.” His hand trembled as he held the wheat in his hand. The only thing that had changed since yesterday was that yesterday the unicorn had still been alive. _“I don’t think you should have killed it,_ ” Merlin had said. And Gaius had said that bad fortune would come.

“It happened overnight. Farmers are at a loss to explain it.”

No, no, no, this had to be unrelated. Gaius had said that bad fortune would come to the one that had slayed the unicorn, not an entire kingdom! This was something different. It had to be.

“Is it a disease of some kind?” Arthur asked.

“Perhaps,” Uther responded. “I’ve asked the court physician to conduct some tests. We must ration what little food we have left.” 

Arthur obeyed the order. Some of the Castle’s guards and knights changed their shifts so that some could keep watch over and hand out grain. The next day didn’t get any better. The livestock was dying, food and water became more and more scarce, and rations got smaller.

The people were scared, too. Arthur didn’t need Merlin or Guinevere to tell him that much. He could see it in the way fights would break out for spots in the line to get rations and in the fact that so many people were coming for the food in the first place - some had enough food for themselves for at least a few days, but feared that it wouldn’t be enough. 

The praise Arthur had gotten for the unicorn wasn’t worth this.

Then Uther decreed that looters would be executed, and Camelot would be under strict curfew.

Then, as if having trouble when he was out and about wasn’t enough, when he returned to his rooms, he found rat droppings everywhere. What kind of warlock was Merlin that he couldn’t even catch a damn rat?

“Merlin.”

“Yes, sire?” Merlin answered immediately.

“Fetch some water. I’m thirsty.”

“Are you sure?” Merlin asked. “It might not be a good idea to have anymore quite so soon seeing as most of the water is now sand.”

Right. The sand. Arthur lay his head down on his desk. Sand and the declaration that all of this misfortune _wasn’t_ natural, it was magic.

“Can’t you just magic some of the sand back into water or something?”

Merlin shook his head. “I already tried that. No success.”

Arthur groaned. “Do you know how to do anything useful, Merlin?” Arthur almost regretted asking, as paranoia and guilt still fluttered in his chest after just mentioning Merlin doing magic.

Merlin didn’t answer. Arthur hadn’t really been expecting him to. The famine, drought, and magic revelation put together had meant that tension was high, and banter was nearly nonexistent.

Arthur had never thought he’d long for a good old argument purely for fun. 

0o0o0o0

 

“Patrol the market and the lower town. No one is to leave their homes. Dismissed.” Following Uther’s order, Arthur dispatched guards throughout the city to enforce the city. He didn’t see what good it would do - it would weaken his guards, and do little for the people - but he would follow his father’s orders.

 

Then Merlin entered the square.

 

“Merlin,” Arthur said. “You do realise there’s a curfew?”

 

“Yeah, I was in your chambers, hunting for the rat.”

 

“Did you find it?” That didn’t exactly why he had to take the route through the square to get back to Gaius’s rooms. He could have gone through the castle itself, but Arthur decided not to question it. He appreciated the company.   
  
Merlin’s response wasn’t encouraging though.

 

“No,” he said.

 

“So you have been outwitted by a rat?”

 

“They do say rats are very intelligent.”

 

“More intelligent than you, it would seem. Go home,” Arthur ordered. “It'd be embarrassing to have to lock up my own servant for breaking the curfew.”

 

Before Merlin could take two paces, Arthur saw the man, cloaked all in white. He walked through the Courtyard Corridor and into the palace. 

“Who was that?”

 

“What?” Merlin asked.

 

Arthur ran after the cloaked figure, and Merlin followed. For looking as old as he had, the person made them go through quite a chase. Arthur and Merlin followed him through corridor, staircase, all the way to the Burial Vaults.

 

Arthur gestured to Merlin when they lost the trail. There wasn’t any way for the man to go, if they could only cut him off.

 

Merlin didn’t respond.

 

“That means you go the other way and cut him off,” Arthur sighed. That couple of seconds could have lost them their advantage.

 

At first, it did seem to have been their undoing.

 

“Where is he?” Arthur asked.

 

The two had split up, and circled around. Arthur hadn’t seen anyone, and here was Merlin, alone. There was nowhere else to go, Merlin had to have missed him. Even Merlin wasn’t that blind, he would have had to deliberately missed him.

 

Deliberately missed him. Was Merlin in league with some other sorcerer. Arthur’s heart thumped as he realized that killing the unicorn might not have been his only deadly mistake of late. He had intended for Merlin to prove the goodness of magic, and her he was, possibly aiding in tearing Camelot to its knees -

 

“Are you looking for me? I am Anhora, Keeper of the Unicorns.” He stood next to them now, his face clear under the hood of his white cloak.

 

Arthur shoved his doubts about Merlin back. The mysterious Anhora was here now, and maybe he had used his magic to hide from Merlin and Arthur. It didn’t have to be anyone’s fault he had been missed.

 

“Camelot is under curfew,” Arthur said. “What is your business here?” 

“I have come to deliver a message.”

 

“And who is this message for?”

  
“It is for you, Arthur Pendragon.”

  
“Is it you who's responsible for killing our crops, turning our water into sand?”

  
“You alone are responsible for the misfortune that has befallen Camelot. When you killed the unicorn, you unleashed a curse. For this, Camelot will suffer greatly.”

  
Arthur shook his head in denial. “If you have put a curse on Camelot, you will lift it, or you will pay with your life.” The unicorn was dead. It couldn’t have cursed him. This man, this “speaker for unicorns” had to be the one who had done it.

  
“The curse was not my doing,” Anhora said.

 

“Then who’s? How can it be broken?”

 

“Only you can break the curse, Arthur Pendragon. You will be tested. Be prepared.”

 

Did sorcerers have to talk so cryptically? How would Arthur be tested? Where? When? Did he have to go seek out the tests, or would they come to him? Arthur opened his mouth to ask, but Anhora disappeared as Arthur reached out to grab him, leaving only a whisper in the air.

 

“Until you have proven yourself, and made amends for killing the unicorn, the curse will not be lifted. If you fail any of these tests, Camelot will be damned for all eternity.”

 

0o0o0o0

 

It was Merlin who next brought up Anhora. “I saw him, you know. I saw him in the forest after you killed the unicorn.”

 

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

 

“It was just for a second, and then he disappeared. I didn't even...well, I-I thought I was seeing things. But he was definitely there. Anyway, what are you going to tell Uther?” Merlin asked.

 

Arthur spoke as he searched for his boots. “I’ll tell him what he wants to hear. We found a sorcerer, and I’ll go after him.”

 

“But really you’ll be taking the tests?”

 

“But really I’ll be taking the tests,” Arthur agreed. He sat and pulled on one of his boots, only to find a hole. “That... rat! It's eaten through my boot, look at it!”

“I guess the rat must be as hungry as the rest of us!”

 

Was that _amusement_ Arthur had heard? Merlin dared to find the slightest bit of humor in this? 

“You think this is funny?”

  
“Moderately.”

  
“Get it mended,” Arthur said. “Find that rat.”   
  
“What are you going to do?”

 

Arthur stood, resenting the fact that he would have to wear the boots with the hole in them, but determined to follow through with his plan anyway. “I’m going to search for Anhora again.”

 

“So you didn’t believe that he isn’t behind the curse.”

 

Arthur could see the disappointment on Merlin’s face. He thought that Arthur might still think Anhora was evil.

 

In truth, Arthur thought the man was evil. Not because he thought he had set up the curse, but because what kind of good man would leave such cryptic solutions when people were starving? The guy was defininelly suspect enough, even if he hadn’t been a sorcerer.

 

“I don’t believe he cursed Camelot, but I think he knows more than he told us. You ready to come along?”

 

Merlin nodded. “Whatever needs to be done so that I don’t have to drink tea made from my own bathwater again.”

 

0o0o0o0

 

After multiple cases of Merlin not paying attention, Arthur was more than barely annoyed.

 

“Stop smacking your lips. It's annoying.”

 

“I’m thirsty,” Merlin protested.

 

Arthur growled back, “We’re all thirsty, Merlin.” Thirsty, and tired of standing by the grain store for ages, and tired of rats getting into their stuff, and tired of Merlin smacking his lips and breaking concentration. 

Merlin only sighed.   
  
“Pst!” Arthur tried to regain Merlin’s attention. “Someone's coming.” He drew his sword and went into the grain store. Arthur motioned to Merlin, accompanying the motion with mouthing the words,“You go over there and come in,” seeing as Merlin couldn’t seem to adapt to silent communication.   
  
Merlin nodded. He picked up a scythe as the figure moved.

 

Arthur spoke when they were both in position. “Show yourself, before I run you through.”

 

The man came around the corner holding a shovel in one hand and a sack of grain in the other.

 

“Who are you?” Arthur asked. He had been hoping for Anhora to come here and say something more about a test, but this wasn’t him, unless he could disguise himself.

 

“My name is Evan, My Lord,” the man said.

  
“Well, Evan,” Arthur said. “My father has order that looters be executed.”

  
“Please, My Lord. I- I do not steal for myself. I have three children they have not eaten for two days. They are hungry.”

  
“It's the same for everyone,” Arthur pointed out.

  
“I... I know that it is wrong to steal. I couldn't bear to see them starve.”

  
“And could you bear for your children to see you be executed?”

 

Arthur could see Merlin’s eyes widen when he looked over at his servant.

 

Evan shook his head and his eyes watered. He looked like he would start to sob any second.   
  
“Then you should go home. If you're caught stealing again, I will not spare you.”

 

Evan thanked him repeatedly, put down the sack of grain and his shovel, and went to leave.

 

It still didn’t feel right to Arthur. “Wait,” he called to Evan. He tossed him the sack of grain he had just set down.

 

“Use it sparingly. It might be the last food you and your family get for some time.” Hopefully not too much time, if Anhora would just turn up with his tests already.

 

Evan’s voice changed when he spoke after that. “You have shown yourself to be merciful and kind, My Lord,” he said. “This will bring its own reward.”   
  
0o0o0o0

 

It did indeed bring its own reward. The next day brought the return of fresh water to drink.

 

“Never knew water could taste so good,” Arthur said after gulping down a large mug of water.

 

Merlin finished his own goblet. “My throat was so dry, I thought I wouldn’t be able to talk.”

 

“Well, at least some good would’ve come from the drought then.”

 

Merlin laughed. “More?” He offered the pitcher and Arthur gladly took more.

 

“I suppose you have a good explanation for this miracle then, Merlin?”

 

“Clearly you aren’t to know you’re being tested while you take the tests. The villager said that freeing him would bring its own reward.”

 

Arthur nodded. He had thought as much when the water had returned. “We’ll just have to hope for more rewards soon, then.” He got up to leave. “And Merlin,”

 

“Hmm?” Merlin responded, drinking yet another mug of water.

 

“See if you can find me some food.” 

0o0o0o0

 

When Arthur returned, Merlin had found food, and a decent amount of it.

 

“I’ve lost my appetite,” Arthur told him as the stew was poured into a bowl. After passing the people gathered outside with Morgana, none of them able to find something to eat, he didn’t fancy eating much.

 

“You have to eat something,” Merlin said.

 

“I can't. Not while my people are starving. Not when this is all my fault.”

 

“Okay, but you have to eat. You won't be able to help anyone if you're too weak to pass the test.”

 

“Fine.”

 

Arthur took a bite of the stew and chewed. It didn’t taste like anything the kitchens would normally send up. The flavor was off somehow, and it was… chewy.   
  
“What kind of meat is this? It has a very strange texture.”

 

“It’s pork.”

 

It definitely wasn’t pork. “It’s far too stringy to be pork, Merlin. What is it? It’s, erm…”

 

What animal wasn’t affected by the famine? What animal had been around this whole time? Why had there been no remaining evidence of a rat since morning?

 

Arthur put down the spoon. “It’s rat, isn’t it.” 

Merlin nodded. “Try not to think about it.” 

Let Merlin just try not to think about it. “I’m being rude,” Arthur said. “Here I am, stuffing my face with this delicious stew when you're hungry, too. Come on. Take a seat.”

 

Arthur stood and pushed Merlin into his seat. “Eat.” 

“It’s actually pretty tasty.”

 

“Well, I’m glad you like it. Because,” Arthur brought over the pot of stew Merlin had filled the bowl from, “There’s plenty more.”

 

Someone knocked at the door, saving Merlin from taking another bite.

 

“Enter,” Arthur said. “Morgana?”

 

“I hate to ask, but I was wondering if you had anything to eat.

 

Arthur looked at Merlin. Merlin looked at Arthur, and smiled.

 

0o0o0o0

 

“There’s nothing else you can do,” Merlin said again.

 

The two young men were at the edge of camelot, having walked through the hundreds of people who had arrived in search of food. Having nothing else to do, Arthur had led them out here to check on the fields. Not that Arthur would know anything about what he was seeing.

 

All he could tell was that they looked as dead as they had for the past week. Two weeks? Three? A month? It felt as if it had been a whole month of this mess.

 

There weren’t very many people outside of the city walls, but Arthur spotted someone sitting among baskets. As Arthur and Merlin approached, they could see that the baskets were filled with food.

 

“You’re a thief!” Arthur reached for the hilt of his sword.   
  
“Wasn't that obvious when you caught me stealing your grain?”

 

It was the man, Evan, the one who had been stealing from Camelot’s stores, the one that Arthur had let escape. The thief had been part of the test, hadn’t he? What if he hadn’t been?

 

Had Arthur done something else to revoke part of the curse, and not known it? Had the thief been truly just a thief?

  
“You didn't really believe that story about my children, did you?” 

Arthur’s skin crawled with disgust. “What kind of man lies about starving children to save his own skin?”

 

Evan laughed. “Your people starve because you let thieves steal their grain. That is why they doubt you.”

 

“You don’t speak for the people,” Merlin stepped in.

 

Evan ignored Merlin and continued to address Arthur. “Your father would never have allowed himself to be fooled so easily.”   
  
Arthur let his instincts take over, reaching for the sword in his belt. “You hold your tongue, or I will make time to teach you some manners.”

 

“Arthur,” Merlin said in a low voice. “Don’t do anything stupid. The tests -”

 

“- Your father would have had me executed, but you didn't have the stomach for it, did you, Arthur? And that's why he doubts you'll make a good king.” 

“You know nothing of what my father thinks.” The thief couldn’t know. He couldn’t know Uther’s doubts, and how could he know Arthur’s?   
  
“I think he wishes he had another son, one who was worthy of taking his place. You shame him by breaking his laws, by betraying him. The King must fear the day when you will take the throne.”

 

Arthur didn’t bother to even look at Merlin, Merlin who was the reason for Arthur’s biggest law broken ever. Evan would pay for speaking to him in that way, for stealing, and he would pay for it with his life.

 

That’s what his father would have told him to do from the very beginning.

 

“Pick up your sword.” Arthur drew his own sword from its scabbard, something he’d been aching to do since the conversation had started.

 

Evan didn’t look perturbed. “He fears you do not have enough strength to defeat his enemies. The King must wonder if you are even his son.”

 

Arthur knew the strike would be a fatal one, but even as he made to swing, he felt something slowing his arm movement.

 

“Merlin, let go.”

 

“No.”

 

“Let go!”

 

“You’ll fail the test!”

 

“This isn’t a bloody test, Merlin, it’s a thief, and one that has the gall to brag about his thievery to the very Prince of Camelot!”

Arthur shook Merlin off and turned to face Evan again, but the man and his stolen food had disappeared, replaced by the old sorcerer.

 

“You are lucky you were stopped from completing that action, Pendragon,” Anhora said.

 

“Your tests prove nothing.” Arthur let his arm fall, but didn’t put away his sword. “What does this man have to do with anything? Would his death not have been just according to law?”

 

“It was a test to see what is truly in your heart.”

 

“And seeing how I respond to a man who steals and insults my honour tests this?”

 

“You could have chosen to ignore his taunts. What harm would they do you?”

 

“You will tell me how to lift this curse, _sorcerer_.” Arthur’s blade was once again out, and pointed at Anhora’s chest.

 

“Killing me will not help you. You have not passed this test, and had you not been stopped from killing this man, Camelot would have been doomed. If you fail the next one, Camelot will pay dearly.”

 

“My people have done nothing!”

 

“Your people’s suffering is not my doing, or theirs. It is yours.”

 

Arthur huffed in irritation. “Then tell. Me. What. To. Do.”

 

Anhora turned to leave, but said one last sentence before he disappeared. “Go to the labyrinth of Gedref and face your final test. That is all I can do to help you.”

 

0o0o0o0

 

The labyrinth was exactly as it’s name said it would be: a maze of greenery. At first Arthur had thought that the test would be inside the labyrinth. Maybe he would have to fight an evil creature, try not to kill that thief Evan again, or help some damsel in distress find her way out.

 

However, Arthur ran all the way through the maze without coming across anything but plants. The beach he exited onto was mostly empty, and the sea went as far as Arthur’s eyes could reach. Being out in the open again came as a relief until he saw what was to come.

 

A table sat a few paces away on the sand. Merlin was seated on one side, and both he and Anhora watched Arthur as he approached.

  
“Merlin?” Arthur questioned. He should have known his manservant would follow him. He had asked to come along, of course, when Arthur had gone to his rooms to gather his things, but Arthur had refused. He should have just taken him along. At least then, Merlin wouldn’t have been part of the test.

 

“I’m sorry,” Merlin said.

 

The curse was Arthur’s fault. Merlin shouldn’t have been the one to say “I’m sorry.”

  
“Let him go.” Arthur said to Anhora. “I'll take your test, but not till he's released.”   
  
“That is not possible,” answered Anhora. “Merlin is part of the test. Please sit. If you refuse the test, you will have failed and Camelot will be destroyed.”   
  
Just as Arthur had guessed. “Let's get on with it, then.” Arthur sat down across from Merlin.   
  
“There are two goblets before you. One of the goblets contains a deadly poison, the other goblet, a harmless liquid. All the liquid from both goblets must be drunk, but each of you may only drink from a single goblet.”   
  
“What kind of ridiculous test is that?” Arthur asked. “What does that prove?” It didn't prove bravery, or empathy, or kindness. The only thing Arthur could see was a game of chance.   
  
“What it proves is for you to decide. If you pass the test, the curse will be lifted.” 

Arthur focused his attention back on the goblets. Whatever it proved or didn’t prove, he didn’t exactly have a choice in taking the test. If a death by poison would save Camelot, then a death by poison it had to be.

 

Both the goblets and the liquid looked identical.   
  
“Let's think about this,” Merlin said. Arthur was tempted to make a joke about Merlin finally thinking, but decided against it in this life and death situation. “What if I drink from my goblet first?”   
  
“If it's poisoned, you'll die.”   
  
“And if it's not, then you'll have to drink from yours, and you'll die. There must be a way around it.”   
  
“It is perfectly simple. One of us has to die. We have to find a way to determine which goblet has the poison. And then I'll drink it.”   
  
“I will be the one to drink it,” Merlin argued.   
  
“This is my doing. I'm drinking it.” Arthur would not see Merlin die because of him.   
  
“It is more important that you live. You're the future king. I'm just a servant.”   
  
“This is no time to be a hero, Merlin.”   
  
“What if I drink from mine first, and if that's not poisoned, I will then drink yours?”   
  
“He said each of us is only allowed to drink from a single goblet. I had no idea you were so keen to die for me.” 

“Trust me, I can hardly believe it myself.”  
  
Arthur snorted. “I'm glad you are here, Merlin.” Arthur sighed and gazed at the goblets again. Who would have guessed that Merlin would ever be so important to him. Even after his magic had been revealed.   
  
“I've got it. Right, we pour all the liquid into one goblet and then we can be sure it is poisoned. Then all the liquid can be drunk, and it will be from a single goblet.”   
  
“You never cease to surprise me. You're a lot smarter than you look.” 

“Is that actually a compliment?”  
  
Arthur pointed behind Merlin and yelled “Look out!” He snatched the two goblets and poured all of the liquid into one before Merlin had realized he’d been tricked.   
  
“No! I will drink it!”   
  
Arthur shook his head. “As if I'd let you.”   
  
“You can't die. This isn't your destiny.”   
  
“It seems you're wrong again.”

 

Arthur tipped back the goblet and gulped down the liquid. This was for Merlin and for all the citizens of Camelot, no matter who they might be. Arthur was okay with dying. At least he knew that this act had to be the right one. _What it proves is for you to decide._ This was proof that Arthur would always put his people first.

  
“No! What have you done?” Arthur heard Merlin’s voice cry out in anguish as he tipped sideways into darkness. 

0o0o0o0

 

Arthur wiped the sweat from his brow as he stood next to the stones. Camelot was back to normal, and Arthur hadn’t even had to die for it to happen. He had learned his lesson though. Mythical creatures weren’t to be messed with unless absolutely necessary.

 

He and Merlin had made this burial mound for the unicorn, and Arthur had placed the unicorn’s horn into it. Hopefully, Uther wouldn’t notice its absence for some time.

 

“I should never have ended your life,” Arthur murmured. “I’m sorry.”

 

He and Merlin began to lay stones over the grave.

 

“Arthur…” Merlin said.

 

“Yes?” Arthur responded. When Merlin didn’t answer, Arthur looked up to see the servant looking into the trees. A white tail disappeared into the green where Merlin had been watching.

  
Arthur blinked. There couldn’t be another one, could there? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> — When he who kills a unicorn proves himself to be pure of heart, the unicorn will live again. --
> 
>  
> 
> Story done! This one wasn't my best writing, I know. I don't think I'm very good at following already made episodes like this. As I'm sure you noticed, there were many quotes from the actual episode in this one, although a lot of it was changed or added to to fit what I was aiming towards. Still doesn't feel like how I normally write though.
> 
> ABOUT A SEQUEL:
> 
> I think I'll start posting late May 2019(mid-May is when I get out of school). It will all be in Pendragon POV (Arthur, Morgana, maybe some Uther). It will at some point have some Mergana and Arwen in it, although Freya will make an appearance. Gwen will find out Merlin has magic, and Gaius will finally find out that Arthur knows about Merlin's magic (and hopefully won't have a heart attack). I was going to do some changed episodes like I did with this one, but after finishing this, I think I might try to stick with just more original stuff seeing as this was just awful to write. We'll see though.
> 
> It will be called either Silver Tongue or Silver Trophy. If you have a thought on which one it should be, leave it in a comment.


End file.
